Back to Normal
by shsthgrl
Summary: Rewritten. When Sharpay uncovers items from her past, she beings to realize how much the absence of Troy Bolton has affected her and tries to see if there is anything left for them to salvage. TS Friendship.


**After wanting to do so for so long, I have finally gotten around to rewriting this story. I liked the story line of it, however I wasn't too happy with how everything was executed in the story and I knew that a rewrite just had to happen. And I'm really glad that I did because I really like the approach that I'm taking with this story. I'm not finished rewriting yet, despite having posting this up. Originally, this was a one-shot but with how I'm approaching it this time around, it's going to take more than a one-shot to complete this story. So now it's going to be a two, possibly three-shot. **

**Also, please note: In order for this story to work, you must keep in mind that nothing in the three HSM movies happened. Troy and Chad did not know each other until they got to East High, and Troy does not have a love for theater. The only thing that I can say coincides with the movie are the universities/colleges that the Wildcats are going to. So yeah... Enjoy!**

**Disaimer: High School Musical and it's character are not mine. I wish, but they are not.**

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><p><strong>BACK TO NORMAL <strong>

It was packing day. Sharpay dreamt about this day for as long as she could remember; however, in her dreams, she was going to Julliard to study theatre, not the University of Albuquerque. Although she was staying in her hometown, Sharpay made the decision to move out of her childhood home and move into an apartment of her own that was a few minutes away from the university. Since she was moving out and Ryan was moving to New York, the older Evans found no reason to live in such a big house. So they sold their house, began moving their things into a smaller one and started to plan their trip around the world. Now that the twins are grown up, the older Evans felt it was time for them to do what they have always wanted to do, which was to travel for fun. Despite the fact that they were going to miss their parents so much, Sharpay and Ryan knew that their parents deserved this so they were happy for them.

It saddened Sharpay a little to part with her room; I mean, it's been her room for almost her whole life (there was the time when she and Ryan shared a room when they were infants); but she know that it was time. Glancing around her room, Sharpay sighed before walking over to her dresser with an empty box in her hand. Her dresser had multiple picture frames sitting atop of it, most of them of Sharpay. There were photos of her competing and winning competitions, photos of her theatre performances, photos of her lounging around the Country club, and photos of her family. Sharpay noticed, however, that there was one picture frame that was faced down and Sharpay wondered how she never noticed it before.

Curiously, she picked it up and examined the photo. She wiped the dust off the surface and frowned when she was able to see the photo clearly. It was a photo of her and Troy Bolton when they were about five years old. Troy was holding onto a miniature basketball in one hand and Sharpay was holding a stuffed teddy bear in hers. Their other hands were latched onto the others. "God, I completely forgot about this photo," She mumbled, caressing the frame, "it has been so long seen I've seen this."

There had been a time when Troy and Sharpay were the best of friends. Seeing as their parents were really close, the two practically grew up together. While Ryan spent most of his time with their parents, Troy and Sharpay did almost everything together and spent almost every birthday and holiday together. Troy knew everything about Sharpay just like she knew everything about him. They were inseparable until they enter East High, where their different interests and the status quo pulled them apart. Eventually, they ignored one another and everyone around them forget about their friendship.

Sharpay sat down on her bed with the picture frame still in her hands. Despite ignoring Troy for most of high school, the blonde had to admit that she missed him and their friendship terribly. They had so much planned before going into East High and all those plans were shot to hell months later. She never wanted their friendship to end but the status quo overpowered them. Troy became too invested in basketball, his new basketball friends and _Chad_. G-d, she would never admit this to anyone, but she was jealous of Chad. He became Troy's best friend and she hated it. The status quo pulled the two of them apart though. Troy and Sharpay became too different to be friends in school and unfortunately, it affected their friendship outside of it too. When she placed the frame on her bed beside her, she saw the wooden box that she found earlier that day.

She placed it in her lap and opened the box. A miniature basketball was the first thing that she saw. Sharpay furrowed her brow as she lifted it out of the box. She didn't even _like _sports so why would she have this? Sharpay then remembered the picture of her and Troy where he was holding a miniature basketball. And it clicked.

_**Flashback**_

"_Troy, we're going to be best friends forever, right?" 12 year old Sharpay asked as they sat under the tree in Troy's backyard. _

"_Of course we will, Shar," Troy replied, "I can't imagine anyone else being my best friend." _

"_Promise?" Troy nodded his head again. In his hands, he held his miniature basketball that he claims is his good luck charm. Although it seems a little bit silly for a 12 year old boy, Troy doesn't leave the house without it when he knows he's going to need some luck. _

"_Here, Shar, you can have this." He said to her as he shoved his good luck charm towards her. Sharpay looked at Troy in shock._

"_B-But that's your _lucky _basketball, Troy!" _

"_I know but I want you to have it. You're my best friend and as long as I have you, I won't need a good luck charm." _

_Sharpay beamed and handed Troy the teddy bear that had been sitting in her lap. "Here, you can have this then." Troy scrunched his nose, eying the teddy bear._

"_Shar, what am I gonna do with that? I don't play with teddy bears, I'm a guy!" he told her. The blonde frowned. _

"_It's my favorite and I want you to keep it so we both know that you're always gonna be my best friend." She said. Troy smiled at her and took the teddy bear from her hands._

"_Thanks Shar. I'll take good care of it, just like I'll take good care of you." The two friends smiled at each other before embracing in a hug, the promise of their friendship sealed into their brains._

"_Troy! Sharpay! Time for lunch!" Troy's mom called from the back door. The two sprang apart and raced into the house, holding the basketball and teddy bear. _

_**End of Flashback**_

Sharpay didn't know that she kept the basketball this entire time and wondered if Troy still had her teddy bear. She pushed the thought aside and placed the basketball on the bed next to the picture frame. She glanced back into the wooden box and began to pull out the items inside. There were multiple pictures of the former friends and some with their families. Sharpay went through each photos, reminiscing on her childhood and her friendship with Troy. Aside from the photos, there were also little notes that Troy used to write to her when she was feeling sad. They were silly things that would make Sharpay laugh, and even as she went through them, she couldn't help but giggle at how silly they were.

The last item in the wooden box shocked Sharpay just as much as the basketball had. It was the silver bracelet that Troy had gotten her for her 10th birthday. When she first received the gift from Troy, she never took it off. It was, at the time, one of her most prize possession. She couldn't pinpoint the exact time she stopped wearing it and she was shocked that she still had it. She examined the bracelet as though it was her first time seeing it.

It was as beautiful as she remembered it to be. Her name was engraved on the front in fancy cursive writing with two diamond music notes on each side of her name. The bracelet slipped out of her hand and fell faced down on the floor. When Sharpay picked it up, she noticed engravings on the back that she never remembered to be there.

_Love you, Shar. –T _was what the engraving read. She wondered how she never noticed the engraving when she was younger. Biting her lip, she put the bracelet on her wrist. She secured the bracelet and smiled, loving the fact that it still fit around her wrist.

She heard her mother call her down for dinner, snapping Sharpay out of her trance. She quickly placed everything on her bed into the wooden box and headed downstairs. She walked into the dining room where her father and Ryan were sitting. "You all packed, Sharpay?"

She nodded her head as she sat down in her chair. Before she could say a word, her mother came into the room with their dinner and placed it in the middle of table. When she sat down, Mrs. Evans said, "Eat up!"

**BACKTONORMALBACKTONORMALBACKTONORMALBACKTONORMALBACKTONORMALBACKTONORMALBACKTONORMAL**

When dinner was done, Sharpay sat down in the living room. She fiddled with the bracelet sitting on her wrist. She was so deep in thought that she did not even noticed her mother walk into the room and sit down next to her.

"What's going through your mind, kiddo?" Jessica Evans asked her daughter. Sharpay jumped and turned to her mother, pausing her fiddling. She stayed silent for a few seconds.

"Do you and Mrs. Bolton still talk?" Sharpay asked, glancing at her wrist before looking back at her mother. "I mean, you two were just as close as Troy and I were."

Jessica nodded her head. "We were and we still are. Although, we don't see or talk to each other as often as we used to."

"Do you miss being that close to the Boltons?" Jessica placed a hand on Sharpay's shoulder and smiled,

"Not as much as you do." With that, she stood up and placed a kiss on Sharpay's forehead. Jessica left the living room, leaving Sharpay alone with her thoughts once more.

Sharpay was frustrated. She was able to survive most of high school without really thinking about her old friendship with Troy and now that she uncovered all of these items from her past, she couldn't stop thinking about it, about him. The blonde marched up to her room and plotted down on her bare bed.

"Maybe I should go talk to him." Sharpay thought to herself. "I don't have anything to lose. We're not even friends. If things go sour, we'll continue ignoring each other; plus, he's moving to California anyway." She let out a loud groan and covered her face with her hands. "What should I do?"

Her eyes shifted over to the wooden box that sat at the foot of her bed. She sat up and placed the box in her lap. She traced a finger along the edge of the lid. "What do you have to lose Sharpay?" She stood up with the box in her hand and headed downstairs, grabbing a gray hoodie on her way. As she passed by the living room, Sharpay informed her parents and Ryan that she was going out.

Slipping on her pink flip flops, she headed out the door and ran straight to her car. The sky was covered by gray clouds, indicating that it was going to rain. Sharpay placed the wooden box in the passenger seat and turned on her ignition. Taking a deep breath, she backed out of the driveway and made her way to the house she once considered her second home.

Twenty minutes later, Sharpay's car was parked in front of the Bolton house. She sat in the driver's seat, gripping the wheel tightly as she stared at the house. "What do you have lose, Sharpay? What do you have to lose?" she muttered to herself repeatedly. Finally gaining the courage, Sharpay got out of her car with the wooden box in her hands and made her way to the front door of the Bolton house. All of a sudden, rain started to pour down, causing the blonde to run to the front door.

"Here goes nothing," she said as she knocked on the door. Sharpay shivered and prayed that someone was home. The door opened and Lucille Bolton stood in front of her.

"Sharpay? Wow, what a pleasant surprise!" she said to her surprised as sje ushered her into the house. "What are you doing here?"

The older woman led Sharpay into the kitchen, offering her something to drink. Sharpay declined as she placed the wooden box on the counter, "I wish I knew myself what I was doing here, Mrs. Bolton; coming here was kind of an impulsive decision."

"Now Sharpay, the rules still haven't changed," the older woman said as she leaned against the counter. Sharpay looked at her confused, "You know I hate it when you call me Mrs. Bolton."

Sharpay laughed a bit, "I'm sorry, _Lucille_. 'Mrs. Bolton' just slipped out of my mouth."

Lucille waved her hand, "It's no problem, just don't let it happen again." She said jokingly. Silence filled the air afterwards; Sharpay was unsure of what to do next. Should she asked about Troy? Before either one of them could get out another word, voices could be heard coming from the front door. "That must be Troy." Lucille winked at the blonde before getting up.

Sharpay looked out the window with her elbow on top of the counter and her chin rested in the palm of her hand. Watching the rain fall relaxed her and she was beginning to forget her nerves of possibly seeing Troy. A loud boom was heard from outside, causing Sharpay to jump. She heard a laugh from the doorway and when she turned her head, she saw Troy's father leaning on the door frame with his arms crossed on his chest. "Even after all these years, Sharpay Evans is afraid of a little storm." He teased.

Sharpay glared playfully at the older man, which made him laugh even more. "Well Jack, if you hadn't taken me outside during that awful storm that _nearly _killed us when we were younger, perhaps I wouldn't be so afraid." She huffed with a teasing smile on her face. Jack laughed once more before opening his arms towards the blonde, gesturing for a hug.

"How are you, Sharpay? It's been a while since I've spoken to you." The blonde walked over and hugged the man she once considered her second father (and if she was being honest with herself, she still considers him that).

"I've been okay. Been busy with packing." She responded as they pulled away. "Ahh, that's right. Your parents mentioned that you were moving to an apartment near U of A." Jack said.

"Dad, mom just said—Sharpay?" Troy stopped dead in tracks when he saw the blonde standing next to his father. "What are-what are you doing here?"

"I'll, uh, leave you two alone." Jack said, smiling reassuringly at Sharpay. When he passed by Troy, he patted his shoulder and whispered, "Be nice, Troy." before disappearing from Sharpay's sight. The two teens stood in front of each other unsure of what to do and say.

"Your, uh, house still looks exactly the same." Sharpay said quietly as she stared at her former childhood friend. Troy nodded his head.

"What are you doing here, Sharpay?" he asked her.

"Honestly? I don't really know."

The two teens became silent. Sharpay fiddled with bracelet that still adorned her wrist. "My mom, she, uh, said that you were moving." Troy said as he walked into the kitchen and stood on the opposite side of the counter.

Sharpay nodded her head, "Yeah. My parents sold the house and half our things are already at the new one."

"Must be hard to let go of the house." Troy said. Sharpay shrugged, "Not really."

Troy raised an eyebrow at her, "This coming from the girl who vowed to live in that house until her dying day."

Sharpay was stunned. Although it wasn't a direct mention about their friendship, she knew that the statement he was talking about came from their younger days. Sharpay cleared her throat. "Yeah well, I suppose people change." She said.

Troy nodded his head. "Yeah, I guess so." And just like before, silence overcame the two teenagers. Troy was still stunned and confused by Sharpay's presence. What was she doing here, at his house and why was she talking to him? His eyes fell to the wooden box that was sitting on the counter. "What's that?" he asked, nodding his head towards the box. "And don't say that it's a box or else I will go through it with or without your permission."

Sharpay laughed and reached for the box and traced the edges of the lid. "Well, it technically _is _a box, Troy," she said teasingly and he glared at her mockingly. "I found it in my room when I was packing."

"What's in it?" he asked her. Sharpay bit her lip; she was hesitant and nervous. "Come on, Sharpay. There's got to be a reason why you brought it here."

She cocked an eyebrow at him. "What if I brought it for your parents?" she asked him, a small smile playing across her lip. He laughed at her and leaned across the counter to pluck the box out of her hand, much to Sharpay's protest.

"If you brought it here for my parents then you wouldn't be wasting your time talking to me." He said to her. He lifted the lid of the box and stared at the items inside. "Whoa."

Sharpay nodded her head, "Yeah."

"This is my miniature basketball...from when I was little." Troy said quietly, "The one that I gave to you."

"Sharpay, why are you honestly here? And why are you here with this?" he asked her, pointing to the miniature basketball and the box.

"Troy I don't—"

He cut her off. "No, don't you dare say that you _don't know_, Sharpay. I know you better than that. There's a reason why you're here and I want to know why that is."

"I," Sharpay looked at Troy, who was still holding the miniature basketball in his hand, "I want my teddy bear back." She said to him with a sad voice.

Troy was taken back. She wanted her _teddy bear _back? The one that she gave to him when they were younger? The one that she gave to him as a reminder of their friendship? "_Former_ friendship," Troy said to himself.

"Troy?" Sharpay called out. Troy snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the blonde. "The, uh, teddy bear?"

"Why?" He asked. Sharpay looked at him confused. "Why do you want it back?"

Sharpay sighed, "Troy-"

"No, Sharpay. Tell me why you want it back." He said sternly. "Will you give it to me if I tell you?" she asked him.

Troy shrugged his shoulders. "I'll consider it."

"Troy!" The sandy blonde shook his head at her. "Come _on_, Bolton! Just give it back to me!"

"Not until you tell me why you want it back, _Evans_." He said, emphasizing her last name. Sharpay glared at him, "Well, isn't it obvious?"

"Not really."

"Troy," The boy gave her a stern look. "It's just, it seems silly for us to keep these when the promise behind it has no meaning anymore." She tells him sadly. Troy looks at her confused.

"No meaning anymore?" he repeats confused. "What do you mean?"

Sharpay sighed frustrated. "Do I really have to explain _everything_ to you?" she asks him.

Troy glared at her slightly. "Well maybe if you stopped saying ridiculous things I wouldn't be so confused." He said to her in a frustrated tone.

"What is so confusing about what I said?" she asked him, returning his glare. "That promise doesn't have any meaning anymore and you know it."

"Who are you to make that decision?" Troy asked her. The more Sharpay dismissed their promise, the angrier Troy was becoming.

Sharpay scoffed at Troy. "I was one of the two people who agreed to the stupid promise. I think I have a right to take it ba-"

"Stupid?" Troy repeated, a little taken back by her choice of words. "Troy, I-" He cut off her, not allowing her the chance to explain. "Glad to see that's how you feel about our friendship."

Sharpay laughed bitterly. "I cannot believe this. Friendship? What friendship?" she asked him. Troy opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off, "Are you talking about our childhood friendship? The one where we were _best friends_? The one that you, Troy, so easily forgot about a few months into high school? Are you talking about that one?" Sharpay started to get angry and tears began to develop in her eyes but she refused to let them fall. Troy Bolton will _not _make her cry.

"I forgot about it, Sharpay? Just me?" Troy asked her angrily. He placed both hands on the edge of the counter and gripped it tightly. "Last time I checked, you made no effort throughout high school to be my _best friend_ either. You were the one that distanced yourself from me first. You were the one that became _too busy_ to spend time with me. You were the one that didn't _want _to spend time with me." Troy paused as tears began to form in his eyes as well. "Don't you dare say it was just me who forgot about our friendship, Sharpay, because you were at fault as well. And you know that."

Sharpay sniffled as a few tears spilled from her eyes. She quickly wiped them away with her hands as she listened to Troy's words. "You were the one that brought your basketball friends to all of our plans! You were the one that wasn't content with hanging out with just me, your supposedly best friend. There always had to be someone else with us, Troy! And I hated it because I just wanted to spend time with my best friend but apparently he didn't feel the same way. You don't understand how that made me feel." Now she was yelling, and Troy knew that she was only yelling at him because she was hurt, because she was upset.

"Sharpay-" The blonde shook her head as she wiped the tears from her face.

"This was a mistake, coming here." Sharpay said sadly. She sniffled and looked at Troy. "Clearly you're content with your life without me or our friendship. I don't know why I thought otherwise. I think I should just go." A couple more tears slid down her cheeks. She walked over to Troy and closed the wooden box, leaving the miniature basketball on the counter.

"Is that why you came here, Sharpay? To try and see what's left of our friendship?" he asked her right before she was going to leave. Sharpay shrugged shoulders.

"I, sort of. I didn't have any expectations when I came here. I mean," Sharpay paused and looked up at Troy with glossy eyes. "It's been a long time and I know things have changed." She sniffled and looked down at the wooden box in her arms. "I guess, despite not having any expectations, I had hope that maybe, my best friend was still here."

"Sharpay-" The blonde raised her hand in front of his face to stop him from talking and shook her head at him. "Please don't Troy. I knew, coming into this, that there was a possibility, a huge one, that we could never be best friends again. I just figured..." She paused when she heard her voice crack. She was on the verge of tears _again_. Sharpay knew that this time around, she wouldn't be able to stop her tears. It hurt too much now. "I just figured that, you're moving up to California and I'll probably never see you again. So what did I have to lose?" She looked up at Troy with her hurt eyes. Troy couldn't bear to see Sharpay in this state and looked away.

The blonde stepped away from Troy and smiled sadly. She took in his appearance, expecting this to be the last time she would ever talk to him and see him. She spotted the miniature basketball from the corner of her eye and reached out to get it. She held the wooden box in one arm as her left hand held onto the basketball. Troy watched as Sharpay stared at the basketball. After a minute of silence, Sharpay looked up at him.

"You can keep the teddy bear, Troy. You'll always be my best friend; no one has been able to take your place in my life yet and I doubt anyone ever will." She said as she reached for his hand and opened it. She placed the basketball in his hand and smiled sadly at him, once again. "But this? I can't keep this because I know that I'm not your best friend anymore. And, and it may hurt to admit and to let this go but holding onto it, knowing that the promise behind this ball isn't true anymore, hurts way more."

After flashing Troy one last smile, Sharpay turned her back to him and walked out of the kitchen. The tears began to cascade down her cheek at a fast pace and she made no move to wipe them away. She headed towards the living room, intending to say goodbye to Jack and Lucille.

Back in the kitchen, Troy stood frozen, unsure of what his next move should be. The basketball sat in the palm of his hand and he felt the tears in his eyes threatening to slide down his cheeks. It felt like he just lost a part of his life and he supposed that he did. Sharpay was his best friend for more than half his life and although they went through most of high school ignoring each other's presence, he always thought that when worst comes to worse, she would be there for him just like he would be for her. Now? Now he didn't even have that. The moment Sharpay walks out of his house, he loses his childhood best friend for good.

He dropped the miniature basketball on the floor and ran out of the kitchen. He saw Sharpay at the front door, wrapped up in his mother's arms with her back to him. His mother spotted him and glared at him, mouthing "You better not let her go" as she rubbed the blonde's back.

"Sharpay!" He called out to her and Troy watched as her body stilled in his mother's arms. Lucille pulled away from the hug but kept her hands on the blonde's shoulders. He saw Sharpay shake her head at his mother and Lucille nodded her head at the blonde, mouthing a few words that Troy couldn't comprehend. Slowly, Sharpay turned around, causing his mother's hands to drop from her shoulders. He looked at her and saw how sad and hurt she was. She stared at him, waiting for him to speak. Troy sighed and ran a hand through his sandy blonde locks, "We need to talk. Don't go."

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><p><strong>And that completes part one of <em>Back to Normal<em>'s rewrite! I hope you guys enjoyed reading it and I really hope you're looking forward to the next part of the story. Please, please review, favorite and follow the story (favoriting and following the author doesn't hurt either, ha). Thanks so much and until next time,**

**shsthgrl.**


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